Teen discovers cleaner water in toilet than fountain

Posted on Jun 12th 2007 12:35PM by Adams Briscoe

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Here's an eye opener for your local school district. After a middle school in Oregon banned students from bringing water bottles, Kyleray Katherman decided to do a little experiment. He had a thought that the water fountains they were forced to use weren't the cleanest sources of water on campus. Kyleray's experiment was to take samples from four water fountains and a toilet and then measure the bacteria content in each one.

Turns out the water fountains were crawling with germs, and the toilet water was clean. What's amazing is that the 13-year-old used cotton to swab the entire rim of the toilet bowl! And he took samples from the water fountains by swabbing the spigots where most kids get the closest with their mouths.

Kyleray proved his point. The water fountains were in need of a robust cleaning, but the school didn't budge on their "no water bottles" policy. However, spigots and casting were replaced at a few fountains and teachers are beginning to offer water in the classroom. More districts could learn a lesson from North Bend Middle School, or even find a new alternative like water coolers.

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Tags: bacteria, clean, cleanliness, fountain, fountains, germs, sanitize, school, toilet, water

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Crabby McSlacker 6-12-2007 @ 3:20PM

That's so disgusting!

On the other hand, I don't know how many of these scary things I've read, where people show you just how contaminated your hotel sheets, or your toothbrush, or your kitchen sponge is... yet somehow I drink water out of fountains, brush my teeth, stay in hotels, and never get the least bit sick from any of it.

So perhaps I'll just close my eyes and plug my ears and try not hear any more about how gross everything really is. After all, I'm one of those people who still believes in the "five second rule" for dropped food.

(And should you ever decide to visit http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/, definitely wash your hands afterwards).

Patricia 6-18-2007 @ 8:35PM

True. This is disgusting. Replacing the fountains will only help until they also are innoculated with a plethora of bacteria...unless the janitors regularly sanitize them with a 10% solution of bleach and water. However, this is what your immune system is for. It's an amazing system! They only people who should fear drinking from the fountain are those who have compromised immune systems. Mom tells me I regularly drank from them as a kid, and caught measles from the one in our back yard that all the neighborhood kids used.

jud5w 6-18-2007 @ 8:40PM

I'd be more curious as to the water it self. The other thing is one learns balance and presion when leaning over a water fountain and a chance to break away from the class room scene in between (during) classes as well pycologicaly. Now they'll still be confined and sit there with water in class and bloat. I'd keep it outside. This may sound like an odd post but I know what I'm talking about and why about the water bottle change situation. Then again, having little cups in class can make it more homey, comfy and close where as people may get along better in that atmosphere actually. Hmmmm, have both. Or they'll knock it over on their paper or there'll be that who's going up to get water, who's cool, who's got the guts, and who wishes to join in ...in front of the class... and it might add that action thought during class. Still probably be ok though. I think of weight gain and stomach stretching with the "have to have water with me' fad that has take place in this decade....another contribution. We used to wait till we got some and were slimmer back then no matter who you were or where you were ...you'll survive and make it in a few minutes w/o it(!)

Sammi 6-18-2007 @ 9:02PM

Well, it's no wonder with the way that kids slobber over water fountains and stick their mouth over it and almost suck the water out!
Wow, this story is a real eye-opener. That is one of the sickest things I have ever heard of.

mjc 6-18-2007 @ 9:40PM

This school is obviously not doing their research. Or maybe I should re-phrase and say that they are completely ignorant. Water is a CRUCIAL part of a classroom. Students who have water fend off hunger pangs, keep the brain functioning, keep students from fidgeting as much in their seats and overall is just a healthy choice to help students make.
A classroom (or heck a school!) without water at a student's reach is a poor decision. I do hope that the district/school re-thinks their decision and allows students to bring water bottles to school again.
I feel badly for the students at this school, if their school is doing this dis-service for them, what else are they not providing for their students.
Please read up on the benefits of drinking water
http://members.aol.com/SaveMoDoe2/importance.htm

thj 6-18-2007 @ 10:05PM

re: your suggeston of water coolers , the resevoirs in water coolers build up bacteria and dirt over time and the insides of the spigot/spout from where the water comes out of also crawls with bacteria and other pleasant gook if not cleaned out properly. Do an easy experiment stick a cotton swab through the spigot of a cooler and swab it around you will be grosssed out by what comes out, additionally you can empty out the resevoir and go around the inside of the water cooler with a paper towel you will not beleve the crud in there. Best soluton flitered tapwater (with a top notch flter an expensive one doesnt neccessarily mean best one) or bottled water that s triple filtered or uses reverse osmoss.

buster 6-18-2007 @ 10:36PM

Five second rule Rocks!!! Patricia how do you know you caught measles from a water fountain and not something else...that's ridiculous. Jud5w....lay off the methamphetamines, what was all that rambling supposed to mean again?

ROTC 6-18-2007 @ 10:51PM

A similar test some years ago won a student a science project prize by comparing lead tests from school drinking fountains. A student might get further ideas by testing carbon dioxide levels in their classrooms during extended mandated testing.

In this instance, it may be the case, such as a hot water heater producing foul smelling water, a water system disinfection is called for, and the problem is solved, for the time being. This is usually called for in new construction, but can be problem for any building.

Good work, and very creative thinking on the testing.

tessnmess 6-18-2007 @ 10:54PM

mjc (#5) I totally agree with you, our school systems here have been allowing water bottles in the classroom for several years now. In fact last year the water fountains in my daughter's school were shut down more than once and the school provided bottled water for all the students and when it comes to the important tests the kids were required to have a water bottle and a healthy snack with them in class so that they could be more comfortable, nourished and not worrying about when they'll get to eat or drink etc.
All the paperwork they sent home from school quoted many sources to back up their decision to not only make these things required during testing periods but allowed at all times.

mary 6-19-2007 @ 4:57PM

NO WAY!! theres literally germs everywhere... not good news for germaphobes

Ariel 6-19-2007 @ 4:15PM

Why is it legal for schools to ban water bottles? In my middle school in NC, they banned all bottles that were reclosable but we could have cans. They said it was because they didn't want students to bring alcohol in the bottles, yet at the high school we were allowed to have bottles. Seems to me that an 18 year old high schooler is more likely to bring alcohol to school than a 12 year old middle schooler.

kelly 6-19-2007 @ 10:29AM

OMG Amen 2 u Buster! U Rock

MDT 6-19-2007 @ 3:02AM

I'm a teacher, and encourage water drinking throughout the day. I ask parents to send the water in a sports bottle to help prevent spills. While water may not be as necesssary in Oregon as it is here (Arizona), it is essential to good health for everyone. We also encourage the students to refill their bottles before getting on the busses. When it is 100 degrees or more outside, you want the kids hydrated. We also encourage water and healthy snacks for state testing. The students are able to focus better if they are comfortable. As for the experiment, a student at our school did something similar, with the same type of results. What about students with medical conditions who need to drink water? While I understand that water gets spilled, it is only water, and does not stain, it dries. Even papers will dry out at some point. In addition to water fountains, we have water machines for the students to purchase bottles of water, and I frequently see parents also buying water.

Jennifer Trepper 6-19-2007 @ 2:56AM

A class in my old high school did an experiment with water from the fountains in one of the buildings. They just filled up a few beakers with water from the fountains and let them sit over night. The next day, the "water" had actually settled into visible layers...gross.

NyLaska 6-24-2007 @ 10:16PM

i have heard studies that have suggeste4d that toilet water is cleaner than many other things. the kitchen sink is the dirtiest place b/c all of people's germs get in there when they leave the plates sitting there for a while, and also many people put packaged raw meat in the ktichen sink to avoid the harmful germs from the raw meat from getting on the counter. and one other note, the 5 second rule is now the 30 second rule. but of course, i only eat things off the floor if they fall in my house, not on any other surface.